A defiant Scouse pensioner took to the streets of Liverpool to defend a mosque from ‘far-right protesters’ amid another night of rioting in Britain.
Pat, 71, was part of the counter-protest that gathered on West Derby Road on Friday evening to oppose a planned demonstration outside the Abdullah Quilliam Mosque.
The grandmother from Toxteth, Liverpool was carrying a ‘Nans against Nazis sign’.
Dozens of police officers were forced to separate the two protests that gathered on either side of the road this evening.
The scenes come as as Britain descended into another night of rioting on Friday evening with a police station set ablaze in Sunderland.
Far-right activist Tommy Robinson gloated ‘you should have listened, Kier’ as far-right rioters ransacked the city in the north east.
The protests follow disorder earlier in the week in Hartlepool and London in response to the tragic stabbings in Southport where three young girls were stabbed to death.
Pat, 71, was part of the counter-protest that gathered on West Derby Road on Friday evening to oppose a planned demonstration outside the Abdullah Quilliam Mosque
Police officers stand guard between protesters defending the Abdullah Quilliam Mosque in Liverpool on August 3, 2024 against the ‘Enough is Enough’ demonstration
Pat, 71, from Toxteth, was one of hundreds of counter-protesters who gathered on West Derby Road on Friday evening to oppose a planned far-right protest
Police officers stand guard outside a mosque during a protest in Liverpool
Pat, 71, from Toxteth, was one of hundreds of counter-protesters who gathered on West Derby Road on Friday evening
Pat said she had come down to the counter-protest to ‘support the mosque’ if far-right protesters turn up.
She added: ‘I’ve been doing this for years. It started with coming out against the National Front in the 1970s. We’ve got to show them we’re not afraid.
‘I’ve been told to stop coming to things like this but I won’t stop now. These people are just vicious thugs; there’s nothing political in what they’re doing.’
In a statement issued on Friday, Merseyside Police said it was ‘aware of online speculation’ surrounding future protests in Merseyside following the violent scenes in Southport on Tuesday.
Jeanette and Emma were also at the counter protest. Emma said: ‘I’m very angry that the far right exploited the tragedy in Southport. They don’t represent the views of Liverpool.’
Jeanette added: ‘Our hearts go out to the victims. We’re here to say we’re not divided. We’re not scapegoating people of colour.
‘We’re saying no so we can have safety on our streets. Coming here is about unity and saying no to racism. We won’t put up with it in Liverpool.’
In Sunderland on Friday a fresh wave of violent mayhem erupted – with thugs smashing cars and clashing with riot police after surrounding a mosque and hurling bricks at cops.
Flames were seen engulfing the central police office on Waterloo Place as rioters were seen overturning tables and furniture inside.
Rioters overturned a car before setting it alight in Sunderland town centre, while other yobs sprayed fire extinguisher foam on armed police officers.
Dozens of police separate counter-protesters from the far right demonstrators in Liverpool
A police officer speaks to a group of protesters who gathered for the ‘Enough is Enough’ demonstration
Pat holds her placard as protesters defend a mosque in Liverpool
Police officers stand guard as people take part in a protest outside a mosque in Liverpool
Thugs were also seen spraying cans of beer all over a police vehicle in the town centre, while shouting ‘let’s have it’ and ‘it’s our country’. Another police car was seen with its window smashed.
Others were seen waving union flags and chanting support for far-right activist Tommy Robinson, amid concerns that extremist groups are looking to trigger a fresh wave of violence.
Officers with shields were seen protecting the Sunderland’s Millfield Mosque as a large mob surrounded the place of worship.
In an update on the disorder, Northumbria Police said: ‘Our officers are continuing to deal with ongoing disorder and have been subjected to serious violence.
‘The scenes that we are seeing are completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
‘Ensuring the public’s safety is our utmost priority.’
Protesters from a group called Youth Alliance were seen holding a union jack banner with the words ‘Stop mass immigration. Save British Youth. How many more British need to die?’
Yobs were also seen throwing bricks at police on horses.
Another crowd was filmed surrounding and attacking a private hire taxi in the town centre.
Sunderland Central MP Lewis Atkinson said he was ‘appalled’ by disorder in the city centre on Friday night.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, he said: ‘Our city is not represented by a tiny minority causing trouble.
Protesters spray fire extinguishers at riot police officers during scenes of unrest in Sunderland this evening
Scenes of unrest as protesters gather in Sunderland this evening
Firefighters tackle the blaze at the police facility on Waterloo Place
Police officers form a wall across a road as protests erupted in Sunderland on Friday night
Huge flames erupting from Sunderland’s Central Police Station after it was attacked by thugs on Friday night
Firefighters tackle damage from the blaze following violence in Sunderland
Firefighters and police outside Sunderland Central Police Office in the aftermath of the attack
Riots have ignited in Sunderland in the aftermath of the stabbing in Southport. Pictured: An overturned car on fire
Firefighters in Sunderland cordon off roads while they tackle the inferno set by rioters on the city’s police station
‘(Northumbria Police) have my full support as they respond to criminal thuggery and work to protect all the communities of our city.
‘Tomorrow the people of Sunderland will come together and continue to build the bright future that we have – a future where every community of our city feels safe and prospers.’
The action is the latest following the stabbing in Southport in which three young children were killed and eight others suffered knife wounds.
Violence erupted after a remembrance vigil for Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, on Tuesday thugs travelled into the seaside town and centred a riot around the local mosque – whose windows were smashed in a brutal attack.
It comes after false online speculation that the three little girls killed in the knife rampage at a Taylor Swift holiday camp died at the hands of an asylum seeker who had travelled to the UK on a boat. The claims are thought to have originated from a Russia-linked fake news outlet.
